Multi-rod leg supports



April s, 1958 w. R. JONES EI'AL MULTI-ROD LEG SUPPORTS Filed April 4,1956 VIII/[III],

T0 WI LIZ IXKA R J ONES HARRY C. HOUSE BY DES JARDINSOBINSON 8. KEISERTHEIR ATTORNEYS United States Patent O MULTI-ROD LEG SUPPORTS William R.Jones and Harry C. House, Madeira, Ohio Application April 4, 1956,Serial No. 576,054 7 Claims. (Cl. 311--109) This invention'relates tomulti-rod leg supports, and more particularly to multi-rod supportssuitable for chair and table legs in Which the bottom ends of the rodscomprising the support are secured in assembled relation by a commonmeans that also secures a foot to the assembled rod ends of saidmulti-rod support.

Heretofore, the bottom ends of the rods comprising the multi-rodsupports have been first secured, as by welding, in assembled relationand thereafter secured to the foot, rather than being arranged inassembled relation by the foot and so held by the foot or the securingof the foot. Consequently, the foot on the bottom ends of the rods ofthe muiti-rod support has not been integrated into a unitaryconstruction with the foot, if a foot be attached to the already unitedbottom ends of the rods. The means for attaching the ends of the rodshas been combined with the foot attaching means, each being entirelyseparate and independent.

Accordingly, one of the main objects of the invention is a multi-rodsupport in which the foot is a means for assembling the bottom ends ofthe rods.

Another object of the invention is .a multi-rod support in which thefoot is adapted for receiving the bottom ends of any selected number ofrods.

Another object of the invention is a multi-rod support in which the rodsmay be advantageously arranged in different geometrical designs and heldin such arranged relation by the foot and the foot securing means.

Another object of the invention is a multi-rod support in which the rodsare easily and efiiciently assembled and fastened at their opposite endsto' a securing fitting and a foot.

Further objects, and objects relating to details of construction andeconomies of operation, will readily appear from the detaileddescription to follow. In one instance, the objects of the inventionhave been accomplished by the device and means set forth in thefollowing specification. The invention is clearly defined and pointedout in the appended claims. Structures constituting preferredembodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the foot portion of the support.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the bottom end of the support and foot.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom end of another embodimentof the invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings (Fig. 1-3), there is disclosed asupport comprised of a plurality of rods 2 with one end of each rodattached to a securing fitting 3 in the form of an annular ring providedwith a flange or web 4. One end of each of the rods is inserted into aperforation 5 in the ring, and other perforations 6 are formed in theweb or flange 4 to receive a screw or bolt of a support embodying theice for securing the fittings to the member to be supported, such as achair or table. These upper ends of the rods may be secured to the ringby being press-fitted into the perforations 5, welded therein, orotherwise secured.

The opposite or bottom ends of each of the rods 2 are secured andfastened to a foot 7 which is in the form of a cap provided with asocket 8 on one side into which the secured ends of the rods areinserted and fastened. A common means is employed for assembling andsecuring the bottom ends of the rods and fastening.

them to the foot 7, this means being a disc 9 with any number ofseparate recesses 10 formed in its peripheral edge and preferablyconforming to the configuration of the rods 2 which are shown to becylindrical. Hence the recesses 10 are arcuate with a radius slightlyless than the radius of the rods.

Since the bottom ends of the rods 2 are brought closer together thantheir opposite or top ends to give the support a conical configuration,the socket 8 of the foot 7 may advantageously be conical also.

The disc 9 is provided with a central perforation 11, preferablyscrew-threaded, and the closed end of the foot 7 is provided with acentral perforation 12. With the disc 9 disposed as a hub for the bottomends of the rods and the rod ends inserted in the socket 8 of the foot7, a screw 13 is inserted through the foot perforation 12, with its freeend screw-threaded into the screw threaded perforation 11 of the disc 9,to clamp the rod ends against the inside wall of the web socket and inspaced relation by the means of the arcuate recesses 10 into which theends of the rods fit. The arcuate recesses 10 could, of course, beformed in the side wall of the foot 7 in addition to or in lieu of beingformed in the disc 9.

These recesses 10 are desirable as a convenient means for spacing apartthe bottom ends of the rods 2. If, however, the bottom ends of the rodswere brought into contact, they would automatically space themselves,and the recesses could then be dispensed with. Moreover, the foot doesnot necessarily need to be tapered to conform to the taper of theinclined rods. With the bottom ends of the rods inclined, they would beclamped against the side wall of the socket, whether or not the wall ofthe socket in the foot were inclined.

The rods may be disposed to form a round support, as shown, at itsbottom end, or any other geometrical figure, such as a square ortriangle, with the shape of the foot corresponding thereto, and the discwould be changed to conform therewith. The support fitting for the topends of the rods is preferably of the same shape and design as the foot,except larger in size, although they could be of different shape anddesign than the foot.

In the modification of Fig. 4, the rods 2 are disposed in the form of asquare with the foot 8' of the same configuration and the bottom ends ofthe rods 2' fitted in abutting relation into the foot 8 With a leg ineach of the four corners 15 thereof. With the bottom ends of the rods 2'properly assembled in abutting relation, and so secured in the socket ofthe foot 8', the foot is secured by the adhesive means 16 adapted to bepoured into said foot socket and with the assembled bottom Patented Apr.8, 1958 rods are assembled andsecured .by the foot and a commonfastening means.

There may be various changes in details of construction. withoutdepartingfrom the spiritvof the invention, and, therefore, the inventionis claimed broadly as indicated by theappended claims.

Havingthus described the invention, what is claimed as newand useful anddesired to be secured by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. A leg support comprising a plurality of rods interposed between asupportfitting on one end of said rods and a foot mounted on theiropposite ends, said foot having asocket in which the bottom ends of therods are. inserted, and a common .means within the socket for; securingthe foot to the-bottom endsof the-rods and maintaining said bottom endsof the rods in assembled relation in said. foot.

2. The leg support'of claim 1 in which said. common means clamps theinserted ends of the rods against the side wall of the socket.

3. The leg support of claim 2 in which the common meansis a disc whichis clamped against the rods by means of a screw connected to the foot.

4. The leg support of claim 3 including means for holding inserted endof the rods in spaced apart relation in the socket of the foot.

5. A leg support comprising a plurality of rods interposed between asupport fitting on one end of said rods anda foot mounted on theiropposite ends, said foot having asocket-in which the bottom ends of therods are inserted, and common means contained within the socket in whichthe inserted bottom ends of the rods are anchored in the socket of thefoot and secured thereto.

6. A leg support unit comprising a plurality of rods interposed betweena support fitting on one end of said unit and a hollow foot mounted onthe opposite end of said unit, said foot having a common openingproviding a walled socket in which the bottom ends of the rods areinserted, a disc disposed between the rods at one end of the unit forspreading the ends of the rods against the socket wall, means forclamping the disc to the foot, and means for circumferentially spacingthe ends of the rods within the socket.

7. A leg support comprising a plurality of rods interposed between asupport fitted on one end of said rods and a foot mounted on theiropposite ends, said foot having a socket in which the bottom ends of therods are inserted, and hardened adhesive means within the socket inwhichsaid bottom ends. of the rods are embedded for anchoring themtherein.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,217Rapp Dec. 28, 1897 1,606,956 Murphy Nov. 16, 1926 1,935,682 Wege Nov.21, 1933 2,177,387 Greitzer Oct. 24, 1939 2,613,957 Ritter Oct. 14,1952. 2.730.419 Watrous et al. Jan. 10. 1956

